The airline Gulf Air is set to increase its luggage allowance in all three of its classes starting in October. This will bring the airline in line with its major Middle Eastern competitor, Emirates.

These allowances in economy, business travel and first class will take effect from 1st October and will increase luggage allowance by 10kg for each class. This is following the Emirates announcement earlier in the year which means both these airlines have some of the most generous luggage allowances in the world.

A further 15 kg luggage allowance will be allowed to those silver members of the Gulf Air frequent flyer programme. Gold members will be allowed to take an extra 20kg over and above the new limits equating to a total luggage allowance of 70kg.

When talking about the announcement, the Gulf Air chief commercial officer, Willy Boulet said:

“Our decision to increase the allowance is in direct response to feedback from our customers who are looking for greater flexibility in the amount of free checked luggage they can carry when flying. Many of our customers travel to destinations on the Gulf Air network for extended periods to visit friends and family as well as for work related commitments and therefore need to carry more luggage than the standard allowance provides for.”

Popularity: 20% [?]

Airport queues could be dramatically reduced by new scanning technology, the CEO of the worldwide security and technology business, Smith Group announced.

This new technology means that passengers will no longer have to take laptops out of bags to be security checked.
Philip Bowman was talking in Brussels at the European Security Forum and commented:

“Smiths Detection has now developed the kit that we believe can securely screen laptops without first removing them from passengers’ bags. Lifting the laptop restriction could make an early, practical improvement to the lives of the travelling public – perhaps halving the length of Europe’s airport queues. That’s why I believe we should be making faster progress on testing the technology to ensure it meets the right levels of security assurance and to allow it to be used.”

He went on to say that airport security policies in practice relating to laptop security and liquids did a great deal to restrict passenger’s freedom of movement. He continued to say it was understood by everyone that there were important reasons for taking this action highlighting the case of three men imprisoned earlier in September for their part in conspiring to blow up aircraft mid-Atlantic.

However he believed travellers should be allowed to question these restraints, “when, given the developments in screening technology we have seen in recent years, these restrictions will be lifted”.

This is great news for business travel and hopefully it won’t be long before this technology is used across airports.

Popularity: 18% [?]

US Airways has revealed plans to launch fully flat seating in its business class areas. The seating will be fitted in the airline’s fleet of Airbus aircraft with wide bodies. The first to be converted will be the A330-200 later this year. The rest of the 15 A330-200 aircraft will be refitted by summer 2011 which will provide 20 Envoy Suites per aircraft.

The airline currently has three existing A330-200 aircraft and two more will be delivered before the end of this year. The Envoy Suite design for US Airways’ A330-300s is still being developed and is expected to be introduced in summer 2012.

These newly designed seats have in-flight entertainment fitted which includes a 12.1 inch touchscreen, satellite telephone, a power outlet of 110-volt and a USB port making these suites perfect for business travel.

A herringbone configuration will be used which was introduced by Virgin Atlantic when it launched its Upper Class suite. However, unlike their rivals, the US Airways suites will be facing forward at another angle. The seating has seats that face the window and centre seats face inward rather than out towards the aisle.

Flat bed seating has been introduced by other US airlines but this is the first with four seats across in the herringbone formation. The seats as the name suggests recline flat and come in a variety of lengths. There are drop down arm rests which provide extra room for sleeping.

Popularity: 11% [?]

The hotel group Swissotel Hotels and Resorts announced plans this month to launch a new property based in Kolkata. The opening will take place this winter and will the first of this brand’s in India. This is welcome news for business travel.

Swissotel, has contracted the Bengal Ambuia Housing Development to manage the hotel which will house 147 rooms. The property will be included in the City Centre – New Town property complex which will also include restaurants, cinema and a shopping centre.

There will be three restaurants within the hotel which will also include an open-air restaurant, a speciality eatery and a poolside and lobby bar. There will be great meeting amenities for business travel with a whopping 1,261 sqm of conference rooms.

The president of Swissotel, Meinhard Huck said:

“India is the world’s second-largest nation. Consumer demand is growing steadily, particularly in the cities and the middle class, which is also growing rapidly and has ever increasing consumption needs. Against this background, we see great potential for our hotel chain and are delighted to have found a well-known partner that appreciates our Swiss values.”

The hotel is built just 3km away from the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International airport, in the Rajarhat district. This area of Kolkata is home to various international commercial and IT businesses. Kolkata is not only the capital of West Bengal but also eastern India’s top financial centre.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Following the arrival of a fourth Airbus A380 to Qantas this month, the airline has been able to increase its Sydney-Singapore-London route from three flights to five per week. The services for Sydney-Los Angeles is set to increase to four times a week from a previous three flights.

A further 20 of the Airbus super jumbos have been ordered and are expected to be aquired fully in 2014.

Another two A380s will arrive later this year and will be used on the Sydney-Los Angeles and Sydney-London routes. These will operate daily and the Melbourne-Los Angeles service will increase from two flights to three per week.

The CEO of Qantas, Allan Joyce said:

“People are seeking out this aircraft. From our customer research, we have seen exceptional ratings in terms of the vehicle’s performance, and passengers are extremely happy with the product. We have never seen such ratings before.”

He went on to say that these high ratings were echoed across all classes but particularly so in the Business Class and First Class groups.

In 2010 the airline will launch three more of the A380 super jumbos enabling business travel on these aircraft on the Melbourne-Hong Kong-London routes. Currently passengers fly via a Boeing 747.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Several business travel news outlets are reporting currently that Excelsis Airways, a new carrier, is due to start flights between Durham Tees Valley and London City.

The BBC were one of the outlets to report in July that the air carrier was due to pick up these flights after BMI pulled out from the Heathrow-Durham route earlier in the year.

The airline has released limited information on the new route on its website www.excelsisairways.com and the BBC reported that the airline is planning to start up three flights per day between the two cities commencing this month. The Bombardier Q400 turbotrop will be used for the flights.

On the airline’s website it states that all passengers will get free access to the lounge at Durham Tees Valley airport. This will include complementary wine, beer and soft drinks during the flight. There is also a chance to design the outside of the airline’s aircraft. The deadline is 19th September for all entries.

However there are no solid dates for when this service will start and Excelsis Airways has commented that there aren’t any interview opportunities available currently.

The addition of a new airline has created quite a stir in the business travel industry however it still remains to be confirmed if Durham will eventually link to the UK capital.

Popularity: 9% [?]

There has been some bad news for business travel this week with the announcement from Easyjet that it will cut flights by 20 per cent out of London Luton airport and cease flying from East Midlands airport completely. The cut price airport blames rising taxes and costs for the decision and says the planes will used at ‘more profitable airlines’.

Until the end of this year flights to and from the East Midlands airport will remain unchanged. This remains the same for Christmas and New Year flights. Flights in Luton will remain as they are until further notice.

The airline held Luton at most fault for the changes accounting the cuts to airport costs rising by 25 per cent in the last three years.

In response London Luton airport said:

“We regret that Easyjet has chosen not to take up the improved commercial terms on offer from the airport, which are highly competitive and which reflect the external cost pressures London Luton airport has had to face over recent years. We will continue to work closely with easyJet in what remains a substantial and important business partnership.”

At East Midlands Easyjet says they prefer to move the three aircraft there to ‘higher priority markets’.

However East Midlands are confident that other low cost airlines will fill this gap ensuring business travel remains unaffected.

Popularity: 8% [?]

There have been plans announced to open the Park Inn Dubai Free Zone hotel by the Rezidor Hotel Group. This hotel will be opening in 2012 and will be conveniently located for business travel just 1.8km from Dubai International Airport and its Terminal 2.

The facilities will appeal to many businesses with its plentiful conference facilities and meeting rooms. There is planned an excellent restaurant offering a wide range of cuisines, leisure facilities including a spa, swimming pool, fitness centre and for those with twinkling toes even a 575 sqm ballroom!

The hotel is to be situated in the Free Zone district of Dubai Airport, a district that houses around 1,300 businesses in the logistics, IT and aviation sectors.

Rezidor is the parent company of Park Inn and has a over 30 airport hotels up and running or in progress across Europe. The Dubai Park Inn marks the first airport hotel for the group in the Middle East. In Egypt this year the Radisson Blu Hotel will open in Cairo. There are further plans for the hotel group to expand into the Middle East as well as Europe and Asia which is fabulous business travel news.

Popularity: 3% [?]

There are plans for the Park Plaza to open the first of its Art’otel in Amsterdam. This hotel will become the tenth of this brand of hotel to be opened by the group and the date for the grand opening is in early 2011. Based in Holland’s capital this is a great addition for business travellers.

The hotel will be situated directly opposite Central station in the Kadaster building. There will be 100 guest rooms available spaces for showcasing art works, and social and cultural events as well as an art café.

This development is part of a project to regenerate the Kadaster building and the surrounding land. Originally the building was Koninklijke Hollandsche Lloyd’s, a shipping company, head office. In more recent times the building has housed the Amsterdam registry office.

The chief executive and president of the Park Plaza Hotels, Boris Ivesha, was quoted as saying:

“To develop our first Art’otel in Amsterdam is an exciting evolution. With Art’otel Amsterdam, we bring a modern, contemporary and edgy hotel to the city’s accommodation offering, presenting guests who have a passion for art and travel the unique opportunity to literally sleep in an art gallery.”

There are two hotels under the Park Plaza brand already in Amsterdam and these can also be found in close proximity to the Central Station. There are more Art’otel hotels due to be opened with Cologne and Marrakesh opening later this year and another due to be opened in 2012 in London. This lifestyle brand of hotel offers something different to leisure and business travellers from the norm and will delight all art lovers.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Airline, Star Alliance is launching a multi-carrier flight for passengers making several stop offs in northern Asia. The fare is called the Circle North Asia and is for use on flights between China, Korea and Japan.

This fare is ideal for business travel and can be used on ANA, Air China, Shanghai Airlines nad Asiana. The travel path must cover Japan, China and Korea and have at least three stop overs on route. Travel should start and end in the same country but allows travellers to journey within the same region on one single ticket.

First flight reservations are made a week in advance and then the following flights can be booked last minute and swapped at no extra cost. The ticket is then valid for three months from the first booking.

The following travel classes can buy the ticket – business, first and economy and the range of miles travelled will vary according to the travellers needs. On a 4,800 mile journey for economy starting out at Hong Kong you can expect a charge of £667 and a business class ticket will cost £1,065 for the same mileage.

There are a total of 13 Star Alliance fares on offer which includes the Africa Airpass, Europe Airpass and the Round the World far.

Popularity: 7% [?]